Daily Dose

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Anxiety

If watching the news these days makes you feel a little nervous, you're hardly alone. It's also normal to find yourself frequently talking to friends and co-workers about frightening current events like earthquakes, tsunamis and political unrest. But if you're consumed with worry about these events (assuming you don't have close friends or family that are directly affected), it's possible that your anxiety has spiked to unhealthy levels. How can you tell? I asked Gregory Jantz, PhD, founder of The Center for Counseling and Health Resources in Washington state and author of the upcoming book, "Overcoming Anxiety, Worry and Fear," to offer some guidance.

"The difference between whether anxiety is healthy or unhealthy, normal or abnormal, lies in whether or not it leads you to positive action or negative paralysis or panic," says Dr. Jantz. Another important distinction: "Healthy anxiety reacts to actual danger. Unhealthy anxiety can't tell the difference and strangles your ability to act based on information."

Here are some examples of healthy/normal anxiety:

â¢You're worried about the disaster in Japan so you donate money to the Red Cross.

â¢You're nervous about the political turmoil in Libya, or the Middle East, so you communicate your concerns about U.S. policy in an email or letter to your senator or congressman.

In contrast, here are some examples of unhealthy anxiety:

â¢You're so afraid of radation from Japan that you stay indoors (in your house in the U.S.) for days.

â¢You spend hours at the grocery store studying food labels to make sure you don't accidentally eat something that was imported from Japan.

â¢You're so worried about the protests in the Middle East that you panic if you see anyone who looks like they might be of Middle Eastern descent.

â¢You see some local restaurant workers or union supporters holding a rally and you automatically assume it will turn violent.

If you relate to these "unhealthy" examples—or if you're so anxious that you can't sleep, be productive at work, or participate in other normal daily activities—talk to your doctor. She can help you figure out if you need treatment (and if necessary, refer you to a mental health provider).

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